How to Alley-Oop in Basketball

Every talented player should know how to alley-oop in basketball. The alley-oop in basketball is one of the ultimate highlight real finishes. Most often, an alley-oop will end with a dunk. While professional athletes complete alley oops with relative ease, it requires tremendous hand-eye coordination and a number of important skills that need to be refined with constant practice. Follow these steps below in order to complete the alley-oop in basketball.

To perform an alley-oop, you will need:

Basketball

Basketball Hoop

Teammate

Recruit a teammate or individual who can dunk a basketball fairly easily. In order to perform a successful alley-oop, the person completing the dunk will need to have a high vertical leap. They will need to catch the ball above the rim and throw it down.

Create a signal that you can use with your partner when you want to throw an alley-oop. This will allow you to pull off the move successfully in competition without tipping off the opposition. You can use a simple hand signal, head bob or a blink of the eye.

Pick a spot on the basketball court to throw the alley-oop. Once you are confident on one spot of the floor, then you can begin trying it at random spots on the court.

Signal your teammate towards the basket for the alley-oop. Your teammate should have a running start and have enough room to jump and catch the ball.

Throw the basketball using a chest pass at the height of where your teammates hands would be at the apex of their vertical leap right before their jump. Make sure your pass has enough arc to reach the apex of your teammates vertical leap. If you throw the basketball too low, your teammate won't be able to catch and dunk the ball in one fluid motion.

Aim the ball at the median point between the side of the rim and the front foot of your teammate before jumping for the alley-oop. This will allow your teammate to catch the ball and have enough space to dunk the basketball.

Complete the alley-oop with a slam dunk by your teammate.

Tips

Before you try an alley-oop, practice the timing of the pass with your teammate.

Practice the arc of the pass. The best pass you can throw is a high arcing chest pass using a shot motion.

Warnings

Make sure your teammate can dunk the basketball with ease before performing an alley-oop.